Minnesota gets more opioid settlement dollars; what does that mean for Stearns County?
Eight opioid pill manufacturers agreed to settlements totaling $720 million nationwide, of which Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said $9.37 million could go to the North Star State.
'No amount of money can undo the tremendous harm that opioid manufacturers and peddlers have inflicted on families across Minnesota,' Ellison wrote in a statement.
More: St. Cloud's increase in deadly overdoses: How families, officials are fighting back
The deals would bring Minnesota's total opioid settlement yield to $633 million, according to the attorney general's office. The state made an agreement with Minnesota's cities and country's in 2024 where 75% of the settlement funds are allocated to local government bodies while 25% goes to the state.
This agreement between municipalities, counties and the state requires funds to be used to combat the opioid crisis.
Stearns County has the Opioid Community Advisory Committee, which helps fund community initiatives to combat opioid use. Overdoses have increased in St. Cloud from two in 2018 to 14 in 2024, with a high of 21 overdoses in 2023, according to St. Cloud Police Department data obtained by the St. Cloud Times.
The first round of Stearns County opioid settlement grants sent $621,000 to eight groups. These groups were the Central Minnesota Violent Offenders Task Force, Effective Living Center, Hooyo Hour Organization, Metro Treatment of Minnesota, Sartell Police Department, Too Much Talent, Ultimate Success and the YES Network.
More: Meet the Minnesota potter behind popular whimsical vending machine artworks
The eight defendants in the settlement are Mylan (Viatris), Hikma, Amneal, Apotex, Indivior, Sun, Alvogen and Zydus, according to the Ellison's office.
"It is still important that we hold wrongdoers accountable for their actions and help those who are suffering, which these settlements do," Ellison wrote. "I will continue to aggressively pursue accountability from these companies and ensure the money they made by pushing opioids is brought back to Minnesota and used on treatment, recovery, and prevention.'
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Corey Schmidt covers politics and courts for the St. Cloud Times. He can be reached at cschmidt@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Minnesota could get $9.37 million in nationwide opioid settlement
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